Release All Files! - Part 2

[putnam6]

The top part I can agree with you. I've never voted left for national elections. Very rarely do I vote republican, but I do vote libertarian and independent more often.

But I disagree about midterms. I don't see why the right is well positioned. Typically midterms are hard for any side in any cycle. I don't think there has been enough positive to convince people to go for them right now.

Betting sites have a 77%~ chance on an average the right doesn't take the house
https://electionbettingodds.com/House-Control-2026.html

Special elections haven't been going well for them, and is typically a good indicator.

We’ve talked about this before; one party holding a trifecta majority at midterms hasn’t happened since 1978. except 2002

However, if the Republicans retain control of the Senate and remain competitive in the House, that would be sufficient.

So far, the Epstein scandal has implicated both sides.

For the past ten years, I’ve heard predictions that it would be the downfall of Trump.
Yet here he still stands.

This suggests that Republicans are in a better position than initially expected,

With a significant amount of evidence related to Epstein now under scrutiny, I thought OMB would be OMGONE

Senate Seats at Risk (35 total up)

Democrats defend 13 seats (plus influence on specials);

Republicans defend ~22. The map favors Republicans overall, but several battlegrounds exist.

Cook ratings summary (Jan 2026): 4 Toss Ups (2D-held/2R-held), 1 Lean D, 2 Lean R, 1 Likely D, 2 Likely R, plus solids.

Consensus toss-ups/competitive races (from Cook, CNN, Wikipedia summaries, etc.) include:

Key Toss-Ups/Highly Competitive (most at risk of flipping):

• Georgia (D-held, Jon Ossoff running) — Toss-up; Republicans'top target.
• Maine (R-held, Susan Collins; intent unclear) — Toss-up.
• Michigan (D-held open; Gary Peters retiring) — Toss-up; competitive Dem primary.
• North Carolina (R-held; Thom Tillis retiring/open) — Toss-up.
Other Notable Competitive/Leans/Likelys/Open Seats with Risk:
• New Hampshire (D-held open; Jeanne Shaheen retiring) — Lean D.
• Minnesota (D-held open; Tina Smith retiring) — Likely D.
• Iowa (R-held open; Joni Ernst retiring) — Likely R.
• Alaska (R-held, Dan Sullivan vs. Mary Peltola challenge) — Lean R.
• Ohio special (R-held, Jon Husted appointed vs. Sherrod Brown challenge) — Lean R (some see toss-up potential).
• Other opens/retirements (less competitive but notable): Alabama (R Tuberville retiring), Illinois (D Durbin retiring; solid D), Kentucky (R McConnell retiring; solid R), Wyoming (R Lummis retiring; solid R), Florida special (R Ashley Moody appointed; likely/solid R).
Democrats need to hold GA/MI and flip ~2-4 R seats (e.g., ME/NC) for control—challenging but possible in a wave. Several other R seats (e.g., Texas Likely R) have some risk if national mood shifts.
House Seats at Risk
All 435 seats are up, but only a fraction (~40-60 typically) are truly competitive. Cook Political Report (Jan 15, 2026) ratings:

18 Toss-Ups (4 D-held, 14 R-held),
Lean D (14, mostly D-held +1 R), Lean R (4, mostly R-held),
Likely D (8 D), Likely R (16, mostly R).
Toss-ups are the highest-risk for party flips; leans/likelys can also shift.

Toss-Up Districts (18 most competitive/at-risk; listed with incumbent or open/party):
• R-held (14 vulnerable to D flip): AZ-01 (open, Schweikert), AZ-06 (Ciscomani), CA-22 (Valadao), CA-48 (Issa), CO-08 (Evans), IA-01 (Miller-Meeks), IA-03 (Nunn), MI-07 (Barrett), NJ-07 (Kean Jr.), NY-17 (Lawler), PA-07 (Mackenzie), PA-10 (Perry), VA-02 (Kiggans), WI-03 (Van Orden).
• D-held (4 vulnerable to R flip): OH-01 (Landsman), OH-09 (Kaptur), TX-34 (Gonzalez), WA-03 (Perez).
Additional leans/likelys (e.g., Lean R includes some D-held like certain MI/NC/PA; Likely R has D-held) add ~20-30 more competitive races. Many open seats (due to ~44 retirements announced by late 2025) increase flip risk. Democrats target R-held toss-ups/leans to flip the chamber; Republicans defend their vulnerable ones.

[cherokeetroy]

We’ve talked about this before; one party holding a trifecta majority at midterms hasn’t happened since 1978. except 2002

However, if the Republicans retain control of the Senate and remain competitive in the House, that would be sufficient.

So far, the Epstein scandal has implicated both sides.

For the past ten years, I’ve heard predictions that it would be the downfall of Trump.
Yet here he still stands.

This suggests that Republicans are in a better position than initially expected,

With a significant amount of evidence related to Epstein now under scrutiny, I thought OMB would be OMGONE

[Image: https://denyignorance.com//images/addsmi...umppop.gif]

For the past ten years you've heard predictions it would be the downfall of Trump?

Who made that claim?

For the first 8, it was supposed to be the downfall of the Clintons and the rest of the Democrats 

Trump is still standing but so is everyone else

Any dominoes falling on either side, still remains to be seen

Clintons haven't testified, yet and 3 million documents are still unreleased

Looks to me like things are just getting warmed up

[putnam6]

For the past ten years you've heard predictions it would be the downfall of Trump?

Who made that claim?

For the first 8, it was supposed to be the downfall of the Clintons and the rest of the Democrats 

Trump is still standing but so is everyone else

Any dominoes falling on either side, still remains to be seen

Clintons haven't testified, yet and 3 million documents are still unreleased

Looks to me like things are just getting warmed up

The Trump-Epstein relationship was first used against him politically in a notable way during his 2016 presidential campaign, though mentions were limited and not a central attack line at the time.
• Pre-2016: Before Trump's political rise, their past social ties (from the late 1980s/1990s) were occasionally referenced in media profiles (e.g., Trump's 2002 New York Magazine quote calling Epstein a "terrific guy" who liked women "on the younger side"), but these were not framed as political attacks.
• 2016 campaign period: As Trump ran for president, media outlets and some critics began resurfacing the Epstein connection amid broader scrutiny of his comments on women and past associations. For instance, reports highlighted flight logs showing Trump flew on Epstein's plane multiple times in the 1990s (though no island visits were documented). This was used in some opposition research and media narratives to question his character, especially in contrast to attacks Trump leveled at Bill Clinton over Clinton's own Epstein ties (Trump promoted conspiracy theories about Clinton and Epstein starting around 2015 at events like CPAC). However, it wasn't a dominant Democratic or media line—Trump more often weaponized Epstein links against opponents.
• Major escalation — 2019 onward: The association gained significant political traction after Epstein's July 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. Media heavily revisited Trump's past friendship, quotes, and the 2004-2007 fallout. Trump distanced himself ("not a fan," hadn't spoken in 15 years), but critics (including Democrats and media) used it to attack his judgment and ties to powerful figures. This intensified further after Epstein's death in August 2019, with Trump amplifying (without evidence) conspiracy theories about it.
• Later peaks: Renewed intense political use occurred during Trump's 2024 campaign and second term (2025+), when he promised to release "Epstein files" but faced backlash (including from parts of his base) over delays and his own name appearing in documents. Democrats released select Epstein emails in November 2025 suggesting Trump "knew about the girls," framing it as damaging. Trump called it a "Democrat hoax" or smear.
In summary, the earliest clear political weaponization (as an attack on Trump's fitness for office) traces to the 2016 campaign cycle, but it became a much more prominent tool against him starting in 2019 with Epstein's arrest and continuing through subsequent election cycles and document releases. No evidence shows widespread negative political linkage before his 2015-2016 entry into politics.

[argentus]

I can go for that. 

We definitely need a change.

We do.   A change is direly needed.   I hope it is a change in which everyone feels included.

[CriticalStinker]

We’ve talked about this before; one party holding a trifecta majority at midterms hasn’t happened since 1978. except 2002

However, if the Republicans retain control of the Senate and remain competitive in the House, that would be sufficient.

So far, the Epstein scandal has implicated both sides.

For the past ten years, I’ve heard predictions that it would be the downfall of Trump.
Yet here he still stands.

This suggests that Republicans are in a better position than initially expected,

With a significant amount of evidence related to Epstein now under scrutiny, I thought OMB would be OMGONE

[Image: https://denyignorance.com//images/addsmi...umppop.gif]

I’ve never thought Epstein would be the downfall of Trump. I just think its messed up all the people involved were protected to the point of redaction. Heinous possible sexual implications aside, elites and those in power still communicated with him at a disturbing level. Theres instances are dealings that strongly suggest insider trading, espionage, and purposefully crashing economies. He had 8 email addresses, online gaming handles, signal and other forms of communication. This is what we can see, that’s been released.

They’ve all protected this, multiple admins, and people at the highest and middle tiers of government. I’ve never said Trump is unique in this, or the worst of the bunch… just that he’s doing the same thing.

I’ve always thought that the economy would be the downfall of Trump. The stock market has been the only thing that someone could point to as healthy, but right now that’s propped up by tech, and I’ve noted an AI bubble could make that deflate before the last week with a 3% drop in the market. 

He’s got the most debt of any president now. 

I think in a few years we hear a lot of people say they never really supported him. He was just the lesser of two evils. He’ll be like the Bush of history. And people will still continue to vote Republican even though the last two (in the future) will be Bush and Trump who just brought economic chaos, just like the democrats Obama and Biden who print money, cause debt, and add inflation.

The donor class don’t care. Inflation makes their asset prices go up. 

Take a look at average American earning vs inflation. The chart doesn’t really care who’s been in power, they’ve all done the same thing.

The math doesn’t lie. Whether or not we like someone doesn’t change the math.

And his family is openly cashing in on the presidency at the tune of billions. People used to be outraged about speaking fees (rightfully so). Now it’s just happening while we’re making policy, not after there gone, or a crack head son sitting on a board.

[UltraBudgie]

No outrage 

Just, "which monster are we going to vote for, next"

In an Epstein thread

Giant meteor would be a welcome relief from the idiocy 

Oh well 

Still got my fingers crossed for total collapse

“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."
"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"
"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford. "It is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?"
"What?"
"I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?"
"I'll look. Tell me about the lizards."
Ford shrugged again.
"Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happened to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it."
"But that's terrible," said Arthur.
"Listen, bud," said Ford, "if I had one Altairian dollar for every time I heard one bit of the Universe look at another bit of the Universe and say 'That's terrible' I wouldn't be sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.”

― Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

[Knows]

I can go for that. 

We definitely need a change.

Oh good. That means we're on track and over the targets of evil. Bombs away! Trump approved candidate or a 3rd  Trump term.

[ANNEE]

Oh good. That means we're on track and over the targets of evil. Bombs away! Trump approved candidate or a 3rd  Trump term.

Evil is a religious word — I’m atheist. 

I prefer logic over nonsense.

[cherokeetroy]

None of that ever gained enough traction to bring Trump down 

It was rumors

Just like the Clinton Epstein connection was rumors

If there had been a serious campaign to use Epstein for Trump's destruction, the files would have been utilized

[ANNEE]

None of that ever gained enough traction to bring Trump down 

It was rumors

Just like the Clinton Epstein connection was rumors

If there had been a serious campaign to use Epstein for Trump's destruction, the files would have been utilized

Utilized by who? 

Where are the rest of the files?